


Duress

by Squidbitch



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, Children, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Other, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22339612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squidbitch/pseuds/Squidbitch
Summary: Juno finds a little girl hiding in a closet, and when he finds out she wants to escape, he helps her.--I know the tags are misleading, but I swear this will be a heartwarming story. Here's hoping I can manage to write something that isn't unbearable angst.
Relationships: Buddy Aurinko & Aurinko Crime Family, Buddy Aurinko/Vespa, Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel, Rita & Juno Steel
Comments: 36
Kudos: 151





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The working title for this was "Juno is a milf"

Juno enters the key card, and walks into the room. "Okay, I'm in Jones's room. Anybody wanna take bets on where it's at?"

"I'm thinking 50 creds for in the vanity table, my love." Peter says. 

"Under the bed for 35 creds!" Rita cries. "It's gotta be there! Oh I  _ know it _ . That's exactly where I hide all my stuff!"

"Is that where you keep the salmon crunchies, darling?" Buddy asks. Juno can't see her, there's a smirk in her voice. "I think it's in a compartment behind the bookshelf. 40 creds."

"I ain't sayin nothin'!"

Jet's voice crackles through as well. "I can attest that they are under her bed. They were there when we had a movie marathon last Tuesday. I think the prototype is in the bottom drawer of his dresser. I will do 30 credits as well."

The characteristic groan of their resident medic trickles in. "Do you all have to do this everytime we need to find something? It takes forever. You're going to get caught."

Juno sing songs with a grin. "Clocks ticking, Vespa."

She growls, would probably glare at him if they were in the same room. "Top drawer. 45 creds."

Juno whistles. "Alright, and before I look anywhere, I'll say… closet, top shelf, and I'll match Ransom."

"The closet? That isn't the smartest place to hide anything." Buddy remarks. "In fact I'd say anyone hiding a dangerous prototype like  _ that  _ would be an idiot in doing so."

"Exactly." Juno says, searching the vanity table. "Manon is so stupid, and his life has been going so right for so long, he probably thinks nothing  _ could  _ go wrong anymore. People like that get sloppy, and stupid. He's never had to use critical thinking, and I doubt he is now." Juno shuts the vanity drawer. "No dice, Ransom."

"What a pity." He sighs like a big dramatic baby. 

Juno goes through each one, and finally gets to the closet. "Moment of truth, if it's not in here, we should be worried." Juno throws it open, and sees the box, with the company logo stretched on it. "I'm the lucky lady." He sings.

Everyone over the line groans. Juno brings it down and tucks it under his arm. 

Then he sees her. 

There's a little girl, hiding under the bottom shelf of the closet. Juno nearly drops the damn prototype. "Holy shit!" He curses, then covers his mouth. 

"Juno? Are you alright?" Peter asks immediately. 

"'M fine." He mutters. He drops down to his knees to speak with her. "Hey there, are you okay?" He asks her. 

She continues to glare at him. "What's it to you?"

Juno rubs the back of his neck. "Wanted to make sure I didn't scare you, honestly. You sure scared me." He tells her. "What are you doing cramped up in a tiny place like this?"

She sneers at him. "I  _ was  _ trying to escape." Her little hands grip the front of her knees. She's wearing only ratty clothes, her mass of hair sticking up in every direction. "Then you interrupted me!"

"Juno, is someone in there with you?" Buddy asks urgently. 

Juno grimaces. "Yeah, there's a kid here. Don't worry, I've got it handled."

He talks again to the little girl. "Hey, I'm sorry I interrupted your daring escape." She nodded, like she approved of his phrasing. Juno can't help a small smile at that. "Why are you escaping anyways?" 

Her eyes shine with anger, and fear. "Don't tell anyone?"

"I'm great at keeping secrets." Juno tells her, making a zipping motion over his lips. 

She grips her own arms, hugging herself. "I don't wanna be here anymore. They make me work every day, and hit all the time! They call me a pet, or a slave, and I  _ hate  _ that. I miss being outside! I miss my mama, and I don't even like her!"

Juno's heart leaps into his throat. Manon kept a goddamn child slave? Juno can hardly be surprised. He's so glad they're taking him down. For now, he needs to help this little girl. "Hey, why don't we escape together?" He asks. "I'm not supposed to be here either, and you seem like a good kid." 

She shakes, and looks around herself. "Would that be okay?"

"Yeah, let's do it. You got a name?" He holds out his hand for her to take.

She hesitates, looking at it like a foreign object. "It's Elpis Sallow." Then takes his hand. 

"Huh, weird coincidence." 

She snarls at him like a feral rat. "What's that s'pose to mean?"

Juno helps her stand. "I'll tell you about your name when we get outta here. I'm Juno Steel." She still looks hesitant. 

Then there's a stiff resolution. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elpis comes onto the ship.

Juno gestures from Elpis, to the crew. "Introduce yourselves or whatever." He watches as they all do so. 

They all do as they're told, giving him a worried looks, and confusion for his trouble.

Meanwhile Juno walk to the storage room to put the prototype away. He wonders what the crew will think of a little girl suddenly brought upon them. He knows that they won't chuck her onto the street, but, well-

Juno honestly isn't sure how people are supposed to treat children. By rule of thumb he's always treated them how it's felt right, or how Rita has treated them around him. It's certainly seemed to work out well in the past with client's children, and during the time in Oldtown that he'd watch over kids whose parents were too busy drinking or high as hell, or even just working, to take care of them. Juno's never had a _problem_ taking care of kids, which doesn't mean he's doing it _right,_ but a ship full of criminals hardly fills out a good babysitting resume. 

Will they be kind to her, is the question. 

There's no question of whether or not she can stay here. It's too dangerous, too risky, and Juno isn't the kind of lady to traumatize a child. He will find her a good place to live. 

He steps back up the stairs, and into the living room. 

"And how old are you, my dear?" Peter asks her. 

Elpis kicks her feet above the floor, where she's sitting on the loveseat. "'M eight. How old are _you?_ " She asks skeptically.

Peter gives her a small smile. "Darling, I'm not sure. Somewhere around 35 to 40, I'm sure."

"You're old."

Peter looks like a kicked puppy. Juno snorts. 

Buddy pretends to wipe a tear from her eye. "Oh I must be simply _ancient_."

Juno suppresses a smile. "Everyone doing okay up here?" He asks. Elpis runs up, and immediately hides behind Juno's leg. 

"Oh, we love her, Mista Steel!" Rita chirps. "She's real quiet, but real cute.

Juno bends low to look at her. " We'll find you somewhere permanent to live as soon as we can. Do you have any family?"

She shakes her head. "Mama is gone, and I never knew nobody else." She shifts uncomfortably. 

"Your mom didn't have any sisters or brothers?" Vespa asks. 

Elpis shakes her head, and looks upset. "There's nobody." Tears start to well up in her eyes. "I'm all alone."

"You are not, there are five other people in this room." Jet tells her, ever practical. 

Rita bends down next to Juno. "Now ya got me, and Mista Steel, at least."

Juno rubs the back of his neck. "That's true. Why don't we take care of your basic needs for right now? Are you hungry, or are you too sleepy?"

She hesitates. "Um, I'm real hungry. I'll eat whatever you wanna give me."

Buddy slides into the sofa next to Vespa. "What would you like, darling? Juno is a wonderful cook."

He rolls his eye. "Don't get her hopes up. I'm fu-" He remembers that he really shouldn't be cursing around a child. "I'm bad at Italian food."

"I dunno. Mama use to make spicy food a long time ago." She shrugs.

"Have you ever had curry?" He asks. She shakes her head. 

"I always tried to make mama soup, or sandwiches but I always mess it all up." Juno's heart melts. He remembers suddenly cooking for his brother, and ma. Ben got hungry, and then he'd beg Juno left and right to feed her so she doesn't die. 

_Her pills gotta has some calories, don't they? She'll fucking live._

_Juno, please. If not for her, then me?_

Juno could never resist puppy dog eyes on anyone, especially Benten. Maybe that's why he's spent so much money on Rita. With how cute Elpis is, she might as well be doing puppy dog eyes constantly, even when she's glaring him dead. 

"I grew up cooking when no one else would. You gotta start small, but right now I'll cook for you."

She shuffles. "If you want to."

Peter's smile is soft on his face, and Juno's never seen him look like that. He wants to kiss him all sweet and sappy like an idiot. "I'm sure he would be delighted to show off, my dear."

She still looks hesitant, like she isn't used to having food without a price. Juno knows the feeling. "Whatever you say…" 

So Juno starts to make food. Elpis floats around him, and once he starts cooking, that's going to be a bit of a problem. 

"Do you wanna watch?" He asks finally. 

She _looks_ curious and interested, but she says, "Sure."

"Alright, grab the stool over next to the fridge, and put it right here." He taps the place with his foot. He remembers that he should be polite to kids. After all, they're just small people who are learning how the world works. "Uh, please."

She'd already ran over to grab a stool, and place it where Juno asked. "Show me." It's a bit unnerving, how quick she is to take orders. Juno guesses it comes from living as a slave. He has to wonder how long she did. 

She doesn't want to talk about it, and Juno doesn't have it in him right now to bring it up. So instead of drudging up bad memories, or a conversation she isn't ready to have, he shows her how to cook. He shows her to curl your fingers just slightly when you cut with a knife, to put vegetables in last, how to wash and measure rice. 

She's horribly interested, but never asks any questions. 

"Anything you don't understand?" He asks finally. 

"How do you know how big to cut the potatoes?" She drums her little fingers on the counter. 

He actually never thought of it before. He guesses it's something he's learned over time over trial and error. He shrugs. "I always do about a centimeter." He stirs the curry slowly. "It'll be ready in a half hour. Why don't you take a bath for me?"

She looks around them, and shakes her head. Her hair is _everywhere._ Juno should get her a hat, or do it for her. "I should clean this up." She says quietly. 

She starts to do so, but Juno stops her. "Elpis, you cooked. Y'know what that means?"

She cocks her head, trying to figure it out before he says it. "No."

"Someone else can do it." Elpis looks nervous at the very prospect of it. "I know you're worried, and I used to be that way too. No one is going to hurt you here, or get angry. I can ask someone to do it, but you need a bath. I'll wash your clothes while you do, and we'll get you some new ones tomorrow, okay?"

There's a small shift in her mood, like she's in a tight space. "Okay." Her tiny voice mutters. 

Juno suddenly back tracks, and tries again. "Hey, what's going on?" God, he hopes he sounds calm, and nice, because he's been trying so hard not to be an asshole for this kid. When he hears his voice, its sounds all soft and worried, like how it sounds when Peter wakes up from a nightmare, or the few times he's seen Rita cry. He hopes to hell and back that he doesn't sound patronising. 

Her eyes are starting to fill with tears, and she wipes at them quickly. "I dunno, this is so much. Askin' you for something would just get me _hurt._ "

"No it won't." He reassures her. "Promise."

She huffs, still hesitating. "I want you to wash my hair."

"Sure." He agrees. "Is that it?"

"Yeah." She mumbles. 

He tries for a small smile. It's kinda difficult still, to let himself be happy, or find the happiness in small things. Slow going, but definitely successful. "No problem."

Juno looks into the living room, where everyone except Peter is watching a show. Nureyev must be in their room, probably researching for the next heist. "Hey, could one of you guys clean up the kitchen and watch the curry? I'm going to give Elpis a bath, and the clothes will be right outside the bathroom if one of you want to wash them for me."

"No problem, Mista Steel!" Rita says cheerily. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elpis gets a bath, and Juno has a conversation with Peter.

In the bathroom, Juno goes ahead and starts the bath, constantly checking if the water is okay. 

She shucks off her clothes, and quickly steps in. "Whoa!" She yelps.

"Dammit, is it too hot?"

She fully sits down. Her body is covered in grime, but not so bad that they're going to have to drain the water, and refill it. "No, it's good. I've never had a bath so warm before." She admits. 

Juno hadn't until he got his own apartment outside of Ma's house, so he gets the shock. At least she doesn't have to wait til she's nineteen to experience it. "That's good. Are you uh, comfortable?" 

As a response, she let's herself sink down into the water until covers her nose. "Mhmm." She hums, bubbles coming from the water. 

"Let's get your hair washed really quick." Juno suggests. 

She nods, putting all of it under the water to get it wet. 

There's a lot of it, but there's nothing wrong with that. Growing up, Juno had always fought his hair back into multiple hair bands. One day he got really high, and got his hair put into locs. He's kept them ever since. 

"Hey, keep your eyes closed. I don't need getting soap in your eyes on my conscience."

She obediently closes her eyes, as Juno kneads the soap into her hair. 

Finally, he pulls back, and rinses off her hair with the cup Juno placed on the counter earlier. He grabs the conditioner that he uses for his hair as well. "I think we have mostly the same kind of hair. Well, mine is in locs, but I think our type is the same." It seems that way. Tight, thick curls that never seems to end? Sure feels familiar. 

She hums softly as he works his fingers into it with the conditioner. Like this, she looks so tiny. She has since he met her. Malnourished and sinking into herself like if she makes herself small enough no one will hurt her. Juno knows the feeling. It's different when she's calm, and closing her eyes like she's  _ comfortable.  _ She's always drawn up and upset. Constantly, she jumps at shadows or hisses when Juno accidentally touches her. Snaps when someone asks a question, or gets suspicious. 

Juno wants her to be comfortable, happy, and he wants to make sure she's never scared again. 

He rinses away the conditioner, and shakes himself out of those thoughts. No life comes without hardships, and he knows he can't completely protect her. Hell, he couldn't even protect-

_ Nope, nope, bad train of thought. _

"Juno." She says. 

"Yeah?"

She looks up at him. "Thanks." Her eyes look down at the tile beneath them. "I don't like baths. This helps, I think. Mama tried to drown me in one once so it's all… bad."

Juno feels his heart break a little. He knows when he was about her age, he would talk about those things offhandedly. He doesn't tell her how his own ma once tried to drown him in the kitchen sink. "Are you okay to be alone. I can stay for a few minutes, if you need it."

"I'm gonna be okay." She tells him. 

Juno leaves the bathroom.

There's still a lot to do. Right now, he strides into the kitchen. 

Nureyev is standing at the stove, stirring the pot of curry. "Peter, what are you doing?" He sighs. 

He looks up from where he was intently staring it down. That bastard smiles his most winning grin. "Making sure nothing sticks to the bottom, sweetheart." 

He walks a bit closer, and bumps his hip with Peter to get him out of the way. "You know you're not allowed in the kitchen after The Beans Incident." He says firmly. Thankfully it looks like he didn't completely ruin their food. "Who let you in here, anyway?" Juno asks. 

Peter pouts. "I convinced Rita to let me. She so believes in second, ah, fifth chances." His fingers stroke over the dip in Juno's waist, while he lets his head lay soft on top of the lady's. He's too damn tall. Not that Juno is very tall himself. Not that he minds, either. "How is Elpis?" Nureyev asks. 

Juno turns the burner onto the lowest setting, and starts to put rice onto plates. "She seems… fine? I mean, she's traumatized to hell and back, which isn't that hard for  _ me  _ to deal with, obviously, but she seems to be taking all of  _ this _ pretty well. She's way mature for her age, which I honestly don't like."

Peter makes a questioning noise. "Really? I would think the more mature, the easier it is to take care of them." He says. 

Juno pours curry next to the rice. "Yeah, maybe it's easier, but it also means she grew up super fast. I don't care how  _ easy  _ it is, I would rather her be a nightmare, than her feel like she has to be older than she is. I know how that is. I hate that she does too."

Peter gets close again. Juno puts down the food. He dips down to kiss his forehead, and then his mouth. Juno hums happily, and kisses him back. "Well," Peter says when he pulls away, a thumb gently stroking over Juno's lip. "My own upbringing required growing up quickly as well, but I try to avoid thinking of it at all. I suppose I've neglected thinking of my own experiences being similar to other children. As she stays with us, you can try to bring her out of her shell to your hearts content." He smiles warmly. And that's how it feels. Warm and at home in his arms.

"I think I will." Juno looks over at the plates. "Help me set the table and all that."

Peter drops another kiss, this one in his hair. "Of course, my love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I've had a bad few days honestly, so I'm sorry this is going up late. Ugh, I need to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Elpis is currently scarfing down food fast enough that she's going to choke. Eventually she does, and Juno passes her the glass of water. 

"The food isn't going anywhere, darling." Buddy tells her, a fond laughter in her voice that Juno has only ever heard when she talks to him, or Vespa, though that one is filled with even more affection. Now that he thinks about it, that's only when he does weird coping mechanisms. Making loads of extra, non perishable foods, keeping all the pots and pans neat and orderly so they don't fall down when the ship inevitably gets some turbulence and give him flashbacks, watching people bigger than him, usually on accident. 

_"'We're always going to have food on this ship, Juno. I promise.'_

_He'd realized what he was doing, just how much food he'd made. 'Uh, yeah, thanks Buddy. I was kinda uh, looping.'"_

_"'Juno, I think you've been straightening those pots for the past hour and a half.'_

_'It hasn't been that-' he glanced at the clock on the wall. `Oh yeah, it definitely has. Shit, I'm sorry.'_

_'It's fine, darling, I only wanted to make sure you weren't spiraling.'"_

_"'You know, Juno, I don't think Jet could hurt you if he wanted to.' She'd told him softly._

_'Yeah, I know. I was probably making him nervous, huh?'_

_'I doubt it. I only want you to feel safe.' She'd told him matter of factly._

_'I know, I just- It's hard with big guys like him sometimes, y'know? I know he couldn't hurt me. He's one of the nicest guys I've ever met. There are just some things you don't get over, even if I try to logic it out.'_

_'Of course, Juno.'"_

It makes sense. Buddy's always been so understanding about trauma. Still she reassures them when necessary. It's kind of nice to have someone tell him when he's overreacting. Someone to tell him he's safe. Everyone does it, but only when he's obvious. She's observant enough that she catches the small overreactions. 

Elpis starts to eat a bit slower, still eyeing everyone like they might take it from her. Her spoon scrapes a bit at the plate before she realizes it's all gone. She looks down at it all sad, but quiet. Like she's nervous about having eaten it all. 

Juno leans forward on his elbows. "You can have more if you're still hungry."

She scratches nervously at her arm. "You sure?"

Juno opens his mouth, but Vespa cuts him off. "The foods there to _eat_ , kid."

"Um, okay. I'll have more." Juno takes her plate, and portions her some more. 

Rita claps her hands together, excited. "We should get you some candy one of these days! You need somethin' sweet. I'm thinkin' chocolate-covered crickets! Or butterscotch! I better make a list." She says. As she speaks, she brings out her little pad of paper, complete with the glittery pink pen with a purple flower on top. 

"We should also get her more clothes as well as some more essential objects until we have a permanent living plan for her." Jet mentions offhandedly. 

"I agree." Buddy says. "We will do so once we hit a main planet, meanwhile Juno and I will look into places for her to live."

Peter sips his drink all dainty and elegant, while his other hand warms Juno's on the table. "We do have that extra room. Does anyone have any extra blankets or pillows?"

"I do." Says Jet in his usual monotone.

"Me too!" Says Rita, very not-monotone.

"Perfect." Buddy nods, like they're talking about a heist. "How does this all sound to you, darling?" She turns over to Elpis. 

She looks around at herself, then points at her chest. "Me?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

She bumps her leg nervously under the table. "It's good. Really good, I think. I don't really have a choice, though."

"Of course you do." Vespa sighs. "If there's anything you don't _wanna_ do, then tell us, and we'll figure it out." She says the words like she's reciting them. Like someone told them to her once. Probably Buddy. 

"I don't like the sound of chocolate covered crickets." Elpis admits.

" _What_?!" Rita gasps. 

Juno nods. "She's right. They're gross." 

"Mista Steel, ya always say that! Now I know, you're not a fan of it, but you like crickets basically every other way-"

"I'm sleepy." Elpis announces.

"Oh," Rita says. 

For good reason. It's been a long day. She deserves some rest in a nice bed. Juno gets up. "C'mon, I think we have an extra toothbrush. I'll get your bed set up."

And he does so without much strife. She brushes her teeth, and he gets her bed set up easily. He finds her wandering around, looking for the room, and he takes her back to where it is. 

She crawls into bed, and Juno pulls the mass of blankets up to her chin. "Do you need a nightlight? A book or anything? That lamp turns on, by the way-"

"Can you just-" She starts, then makes a frustrated noise. "You said you'd tell me about my name." She mentions.

Juno scratches the back of his neck. "I guess I did. Are you sure you're not too tired?" 

She snuggles deeper in the blankets. "I stayed up for weeks at a time in that mansion. I can sleep _after._ "

Juno sighs. Stubborn as hell. "Sure, but you have to promise you'll sleep right afterwards."

She huffs. " _Right_ afterwards doesn't sound _possible_."

"Then promise you'll go to sleep as soon as you can?" He indulges. 

"Fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck, I wanted to do more but I didn't want my word count for each chapter to be over 1,000 and it already is :(


	5. Chapter 5

Juno looks down at Elpis. A little girl who'd popped up in a closet, and says, "So this story comes from a series of myths and legends made as a religion. Gods and goddesses, deities, and a whole jumble of weird nonsensical creatures." Pretense out of the way. 

"There was a-"

Elpis cuts him off. "You're doing it wrong." She folds her arms over her chest. "You have to say, " _ Once upon a time" _ ." 

Juno rolls his eye. "Okay, fine.  _ Once upon a time,  _ there was a king. A pretty shitty king to  _ my  _ namesake if you ask me, not that she was great." He clears his throat when he realizes he shouldn't be cussing. "Pretend you never heard that." He sighs. "This king, he made a woman. The first human woman, named Pandora. He made her like every other human. Just like you or me, irrational, anxious, and curious. As a gift, he gave her a box filled with all the bad in the world. There was sickness, death, corruption, many different kinds of evils that plague our world to this day." 

Juno feels…

Juno feels  _ weird _ . He's always told stories like this. Of course, he has that constant running monologue in his own head, that everyone must have. But there's more than that. Ever since he was a child. Benten would beg him to tell stories as they'd be falling asleep. 

_ "You're the only kid on Mars who can tell stories like Ma does." _

Mick and Sasha would sit with him around fires in abandoned buildings, when they were high and wistful for the future. Old stories he would tell the kids in the neighborhood, or at school at Sasha's nagging insistence. 

_ "These kids need some entertainment, Juno, do you really have anything better to do?" Sasha would say _

_ "Yeah, actually, I'd really rather be-" _

_ "Please just do it, okay? Even if it's just a favor to me." _

He loves telling stories. Peter tells him constantly how much he loves hearing his voice. Kisses his collarbone and says, " _ tell me what the ocean sounds like to you,"  _ his warm hands brushing against his hairline.  _ "tell me what you think of the snow, my dear." _

Of  _ course _ he loves telling stories. He's been doing it all his life, but he always has that underlying feeling of his mother. He knows he's going to feel her when he does things she used to do, but  _ this _ feels close. It's a little muddled, now that he knows that having similarities to her isn't the worst thing in the world. He's not Sarah Steel. 

A few months of finally trying to be healthy doesn't get rid of that tense feeling in his wrists, or the thin air in his lungs. 

He swallows, and remembers that he's doing something nice for a child, and he will  _ keep  _ being nice to Elpis as long as he can. 

Consistently being nice to children is something she  _ never  _ did.

That in itself is proof that he isn't her.

He takes a deep breath with that in mind. "The king obviously told her not to open the box."

Elpis frowns. "That's dumb." 

"I agree. Why do you think so?" Juno asks. It'll be good to let her know her thoughts are welcome. Juno never had that problem. He's always said what he thought, which has gotten him into a lot of problems. Nureyev always hides what he thinks, however. It's been part of his job since he was around Eplis' age. Juno tried that with Peter before, ask what he was thinking, let him know that he always wants to listen. It certainly seems like it's working. Tells him when he doesn't want to be touched, when he's nervous, when he was getting overwhelmed. Now he doesn't even need prompting. 

"Why would you give someone a box they're not allowed to open. That's stupid! If they don't open it, then you're just giving them some boring box."

"I'd probably go nuts." He says to her. "He didn't tell her what was in the box either, but he told her not to look. Obviously, opening it would have disastrous consequences. Maybe the king was embarrassed at all the horrible things he had created. Maybe he was just as scared of all these terrible things as humans are. Nightmares of his own creation, to be made Pandora's problem. 

"In the nights, she would watch the box, the soft glow at its edges, and she would wonder. She would fear. Her curiosity would eat at her, until she would spend more nights staring meaninglessly at this box, than she would sleep. Her fingers would trace the edge of the box every night, and she would whisper to herself, " _ How to get rid of this curiosity… To throw the box away? To leave a gift from my god, my creator? Such insult to him! I could never, and still it taunts me. And still it taunts me."  _ She obeyed, and she waited for the day that she would no longer wonder." Elpis is looking up at him with wide eyes and interest. Her eyes beg for more of the story. Juno chews on his cheek restlessly. 

"One night, looking at this box, her frustration grew, and finally, she thought, " _ Just a glance, only a glance, I will know, and I will finally sleep."  _ So she opened it up, only enough to peek, but that was all that the horrible creatures inside the box needed. They burst out like flames. In the years Pandora had sat, staring at the box, she was scared. Fear that she would never know, that there would never be an end. But she never thought to be scared of what she would find. When she opened that box, saw a gathering of all the evil in the world, she felt a fear she'd never known. 

"But they ignored her for the time being. They all did. They passed her by. Once she knew they were gone, she looked over, wanting to see an empty box. Instead, when she looked, she saw a soft glow coming from under the lid. When she saw, she felt warmth. Her finger opened the lid again, and she saw-" 

Juno looks at Elpis, and he feels warm too. Ever since he found her, he's cared about her. Even after he heard her name, he didn't think about how fitting it is. "The goddess of hope. Elpis."

She smiles just slightly. She looks much more sleepy than she's been letting on.

Juno doesn't quite have the heart to tell her that Pandora trapped Elpis inside the box, and decides to finish the story abruptly. "Elpis had been there, with those evils, because that's what hope  _ does. _ It prevails in the face of any frightening thing. And that's the story of Elpis."

She curls up in her blankets, tiny against the twin sized mattress. "Thanks for the story." She mutters. 

"Anytime." He says, and he means it. "Think you can sleep now?

She nods, and turns over. 

Juno gets up, and strides out of the room, the door still open from when he'd come in, and Peter Nureyev is standing just outside. He's smirking knowingly at him. Juno rolls his eye, and presses the button to close the door. "What?" 

Peter smirks a little bigger. "Why darling, I haven't the first idea what you're talking about!"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asks, trying to keep any flirtation out of his voice as they walk. 

"Oh nothing! You tell quite the bedtime story." He says. 

He shrugs. "I get it from my ma." He says without meaning to. "She use to work for Northstar Entertainment. Ever heard of Andromeda the Chainmail Warrior?" 

Peter frowns. "Of course. Everyone has. The Hero Without a Home." He looks at the passing ground beneath them, and clumsily holds Juno's hand.

"Ma created her, and the whole thing." He sighs. "Jack Takano, I've told you a little about him. My panic attacks show what kind of person  _ he  _ was." He mutters with a scowl. "Other than completely traumatizing me in the way you know, he took Ma's ideas for that show, pitched it to everyone before she could. She got fired after her blow-up about it, and moved into Oldtown." He stops by their door, and it slides open. "I'm so tired, can we sleep?"

Peter walks in after him, a soothing smile on his face. "I need to get ready for bed, of course, but yes, Juno."

Juno pulls him down into a quick kiss. "I'll be in bed by the time you get back. You mind grabbing some makeup wipes when you do? I still have mascara on." He asks. 

Peter straightens back into his full height. "Of course, love." He steps out of the room. 

Juno watches as he leaves the room, and slides under the covers. It's been a long day.

He takes a moment to relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually hate this chapter just. So much. It's too abrupt in places, and it's structure is all wrong. Ugghhhh


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has worries.

Peter thinks it's easy for the rest of his family to warm up to Elpis, because they like children. It's sort of obvious with each and every one of them. 

Vespa hates people in a way Peter can understand on the thin end of it all. She hates people because they have traumatized her, proven themselves untrustworthy. But children can learn. They can be better than the world they have been brought into, and she must realize that after living with these people. Peter certainly understands the sentiment. Doesn't quite share it, but understands. It's becoming easier to let himself be known, to let himself be comfortable around these people. 

Buddy likes children in a sense of honesty. It's something she values very highly. A reason why Peter has been nervous around her before. Children haven't really learned to lie. Elpis seems to have more than most children. Once she learns that she won't get into trouble for things that aren't her fault, she doesn't. She seems very open, in fact. In a way she must not quite understand is different from adults. 

Peter thinks Jet just likes simplicity. Maybe a reason why Jet doesn't care for him. There is no skeevy avoidance or incorrect names. Only a little girl who gets nervous around him, because he is big, and becomes more open to it when he proves himself trustworthy. There is only definitive cause and effect. Living in that simplicity seems easy, somehow, and Peter sort of wishes he could as well. 

Rita loves children for many reasons. They're cute, they're small like her, but mostly, they're easy to entertain. A fun action movie, or cartoons can keep Elpis entertained for hours, and she will be interested if Rita starts to ramble. She will mention her favorite characters, and open up slightly when something reminds her of her past. Possibly, it's because she's so much like Juno. 

And Juno. 

Juno is a bit different in comparison. He doesn't seem to like children because of any specific reason. Not because she's so much like him, or because she is slowly opening up, or even the large multitude of stories Peter has heard her beg for. Peter loves to hear them as well, and each night he stands near the open door to listen.

_ "And Icarus flew higher and higher, hands reaching for a sun he could never hope to touch. The thought of his greed, his hope always for something he can't have never to be satisfied made him long for it. To capture the sun as though it were a trophy of his own would be much too good for him to pass up. Finally, his wings of wax melted, and he crashed back down to the earth. The root of his greed made him fall and fall until his wings had left him. There is no satisfaction for those who will always want more." _

_ "The angel plucked stars from the sky every night to give to the woman. She would hold them in her hands and think of all they could do once the human had fallen for her. One night after the angel had finished taking the stars, she heard a knock from the woman. "Angel!" She cried, "You have left me for weeks, and the stars are leaving me as well! Is there nothing of permanence for me now?" The angel showed her the collection of stars she'd gathered for her. The angel was upset to see the woman angry with her. "I wish to watch the stars with you, I wish to have them light the ocean when we dance, I wish to name our own constellation with them as we lie in the grass. I only want the stars if the two of us may watch them in the sky. You may be an angel, but what a silly woman you really are."" _

Juno doesn't like Elpis because she is nice to him, because she shows interest when he speaks, or even because she resembles him so closely. It's because Juno just  _ likes children _ . He's just motherly a bit, protective of things he cares about in a way Peter has never seen like this. He's fiercely protective of Peter and Rita, but he doesn't take care of them like he does Elpis. He doesn't act motherly with them. The closest it could get is with Rita sometimes, as he treats her like a little sister. They're adults, though. It's  _ different _ . 

Peter is terrible at being parental in any sense.

Maybe he just doesn't  _ like children  _ the same way the others do.

He actually speaks with Juno about it once late at night. "I get anxious, actually. She's so small, I'm nervous I will hurt her."

Juno snorts at him. "You're not gonna hurt her. Believe it or not, she's pretty resilient. Either way you've never hurt anyone on the ship, and you're close to us all the time." He glides across the kitchen like a bird as he makes the two of them a late night snack.

Peter sighs. "That's different." He isn't exactly sure how right now, but it is. 

"If it's because she's so small. Nureyev, I'm pretty small compared to your average person, and Rita's fucking tiny. You do fine around us." He makes sure to say his name a bit quieter than everything else. It's a little silly, since he knows no one is listening, but he still appreciates the sentiment. 

Peter shakes his head. "I'm not sure what it is." He says quietly. He scrubs the heel of his hand against his cheek. "She's so small. Impressionable. I feel like I'm going to hurt her, I'm almost certain I will." He's appalled to hear his voice break just slightly. 

Juno takes his hand from where it had been on his face. "Hey," Peter looks up at him, and good  _ god, _ that helps just a bit. "You okay?"

They hadn't wanted to wake anyone else up, so they kept all the lights off except for the stove light. A soft yellow that slips around the edges of Juno's body. He looks soft and warm. He looks like the very angels he told stories of. Everytime, he takes his breath away.

Part of him wants to simply tell him, " _ yes". _ Pretend that he's not shaking, sweating, nervous, even moreso, because he doesn't know  _ why _ . It feels awkward, like learning a new dance, especially with the hard honesty Juno has shown him since the day they met in comparison, but he tries. "Juno, this is difficult for me. I'm not sure why, which is the worst part."

Juno glances at their unmade sandwiches, and must decide there's something more important at the moment. He slides into the seat next to him. "You mind if I make a wild guess?"

Peter shakes his head. "Of course not, my dear. Go right ahead."

Juno looks him in the eyes, scanning his face for signs that he shouldn't. "I think you're afraid of hurting her without realizing it. Like what uh, Mag did with you. He thought he was helping you, and showing you how to be a better thief, but instead he instilled a bunch of bullshit that you still have to work through today. It's gotta be harder since she's still young and impressionable like you were. You're afraid you're gonna be like him. Like how I'm afraid I'm gonna be like my Ma." His fingers slide over Peters knuckles.

And " _ no."  _ He wants to argue. " _ I'm past that, I'm past him. It's gone, and what's dead cannot effect me now." _

But he knows it's not quite true. It can't be. People are sort of like paper. A crease can never really go away, no matter how hard you try. The most he can do is recognize those creases, and smooth then out as best he can.

It feels like there's been a plate wood armor around his chest, broken. Honesty doesn't come easily, but Juno does it. Breaks him down to his spare parts to show him those that he hasn't seen before. 

He takes a deep breath. "Oh." Normally he's so much more eloquent than this, and he's a bit upset that he's been turned to putty like this. "Fuck." He almost feels dizzy with the weight of the information. 

Juno holds his arm to steady him. It helps to ground him. "You good?"

He swallows. "Yes. Now that I know, I suppose I can work on it?" He hates that it comes out a question. Certainty and conviction is what Juno needs as he grows like he's trying to do, and Peter just…

It's annoying that his strength only runs so deep. That strength can't be a pillar for Juno, and he knows that. Still, he wishes he could be strong enough for the both of them. 

Juno kisses his forehead at a bit of an awkward angle. Peter is too tall for it, and he laments his inability to receive the affection without effort. "That in itself is progress, y'know? We all got shit to work through, Nureyev."

Peter can almost feel himself physically melt. Sometimes Juno acts like wildfire, not that Peer will ever complain, but now he doesn't. He's soft and nice in a way that almost seems impossible. "Thank you, my love. You're too good to me."

Juno rolls his eye. "I think we fit perfectly. I'm gonna finish making our sandwiches." He gets up from his seat. 

Watching him, Peter feels comfortable. He feels warm, and he's thankful for it. Thankful for Juno.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they have girls night

It was actually Juno who suggested Elpis be part of girls night. That's surprising, because Rita was  _ going  _ to suggest it, when she realized that Juno probably wouldn't want to because, 1) he cries a lot during all the happy parts of movies, 2) he drinks a lot during girls night, and 3) it took a lot of pestering, a lot of subtle trust building exercises, and a lot flattery to get him to let Buddy and Vespa join. 

Rita would secretly tell the two women what Juno likes to hear, and it would work out  _ perfectly _ .

_ Buddy is much taller than him, and pats him on the head all soft and easy. "Juno, your input at the family meeting today was very smart, how do you come up with it? You just amaze me everytime." _

_ "Laying it on a little thick, huh?" He mumbles, grumpy and flustered. "Uhm, thanks." _

Rita told Buddy that Juno gets all flustered and secretly happy when she compliments how smart he is. It happens often, but it never gets old.

_ Juno did a small spin in the glittery, jade skater dress with mesh sleeves. It spins and moves easily around him. Rita practically screeched in delight. Juno wears skirts and dresses a lot. Most of the time just muted colors. Loose things that he'd only put on because they're convenient to move in, and he's out of pants. Most of the time he just buys them without looking. "Ransom, where the hell did you find this thing?" _

_ "Oh, I hardly even remember, dear. Somewhere around? It does suit you, though." _

_ Juno takes none of his shit, giving him a flat stare. "Yeah, perfectly tailored to fit me? Sure."  _

_ "Yeah," Vespa speaks up quietly. Everyone looks at her. "You look," Her nose wrinkles a little, and Rita is practically buzzing with excitement. "Pretty." _

_ Juno blooms with his happiness, a smile he can't quite fight down on his face. Rita guesses it makes him happier just because Vespa hardly compliments him.  _

After all that it wasn't too difficult to get Juno to let them join. Rita just thought including Elpis would be out of the question. 

Yet here they are. Vespa had come back with new snacks. Meanwhile Buddy is painting her nails. Rita chats to her about this and that. 

"I think I like red?" She says stiffly. "Or uh, blue. Maybe. I don't think about favorite colors very often."

Rita grins from ear to ear. "I like pink! Or orange!" She's excited at having yet another girl to hang out with. 

Juno shrugs. "Mines yellow."

Vespa shifts awkwardly. "Mines uhm, red." She casts a glance at Buddy as if they aren't shoulder to shoulder and practically married by now. 

Buddy takes a moment to kiss her nose. "My favorite color is green." 

That's just  _ adorable. _ Juno visibly rolls his eye, like he doesn't sit on Ransom's lap or cuddle with him when they have family movie night. 

Elpis shifts uncomfortably. "Is that- um- what favorite color do you  _ want  _ me to have?"

Rita knows Elpis hasn't had a lot of experience with freedom. They all know that. She hates that it runs so deep that she isn't even sure if she can pick her own favorite color. Before Rita can express just how sad that makes her, Juno speaks up. "I want your favorite color to be whatever  _ you  _ think is prettiest."

She visibly struggles for a moment or two. "I don't  _ know _ what I think is prettiest." Her voice is garbled just a little like it takes physical effort to get it out. 

Buddy finishes her nails. "Then you don't know yet, and maybe you won't ever. Jet still can't pick one. He thinks they're all pretty."

"That's okay?" 

"'Course it is." Vespa says. "Here, eat." She hands her one of the little strawberry wafers.

Vespa doesn't seem to know very well how to take care of children, just that they need the bare essentials. She just keeps feeding Elpis. With her skinny frame, she needs it. She takes the caramel popcorn. 

"Thank you." She mutters. "Can I have a vanilla one?" 

Rita is  _ ecstatic _ (that's a word she learned from Mister Ransom) that Elpis gets to join them. Ever since she first got on the ship, she's attached herself to Juno's hip, holding onto his coat, or his dress, or his hand at any time she can, and hides behind him when someone makes her nervous. Juno tries his best to get her involved with other people, but she's got more trust issues than anyone should ever have. Much less an eight year old. A few weeks is hardly enough time to undo all of the trauma of years of slavery, but they seem to be making progress. 

So Rita is very delighted to see her interacting with the crew members at all. The only time she asks for things is when she wants Mister Steel to tell her a story, or asking if somethings okay. At the end of the day, she's still eight. She has been snarky and a bit demanding, as eight year olds are, but only with Juno. Once with Vespa. 

Rita wants to make sure she gets to be free. No matter what she does, and no matter where she is, she needs to be able to tell people when she wants something. Rita wants her to have the freedom to speak. 

She has that freedom here, but she can't stay here forever. Rita knows that. Everyone does, but she can still have a good time while she's here. Rita wishes she could stay there with them forever. She's thought of a million ways they could have her aboard, but there's more to life than being a thief. She should have the chance to see it. 

They'll work something out. Juno and Buddy have been looking for good orphanages (very very rare), but it's been slow going. Rita knows they will find something. She has confidence in them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> commenting is very appreciated!!


End file.
